The Russian air force began Russia’s wider war on Ukraine in February 2022 with nine active Beriev A-50sM/Us — four-engine Ilyushin Il-76 airlifters with radar radomes on their fuselages and stations for up to 15 crew and battle-managers. After Sunday’s Operation Spider Web — coordinated strikes on as many as five Russian air force bases by short-range attack drones that the Ukrainian state security service (SBU) smuggled near the bases in hijacked long-haul trucks — the Russians may be down to just five A-50s. The Russian air force stores derelict radar planes at Ivanovo air base, occasionally stripping spare parts from them to support the dwindling fleet of active A-50s.
Author: David Axe
Published at: 2025-06-02 21:00:49
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